It's Your Turn To Win
by tap dancing swimmer
Summary: “It’s your turn to win.” Those words remain etched into Lizzie’s mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie’s determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.
1. Bugs, Ethan, and Murder Oh My!

It's Your Turn To Win  
  
Summary: "It's your turn to win." Those words remained etched into Lizzie's mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie's determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters. All of them were created by Disney except maybe Ethan's dad. I don't think Disney ever stated what his name was so for my sake let's just leave him as Mr. Craft. The idea is mine too. I've never seen another story with my exact plot nor am I willing to search through 60 some pages for any story of this nature. Therefore, I'm claiming this idea as mine own.  
  
Author's Note: Miranda is still absent from this "episode" due to yet ANOTHER illness. Hey, at least it's more reasonable then spending like a year in Mexico or at her grandma's. I mean will she ever come home?! Lol. Warning I'm a big L/G shipper so don't read if your not a big fan of fluff between the two. Also, the movie never happened and this is taking place sometime in ninth grade so um yea I think that's all you need to know so moving on with the story.  
  
"Yo Gordon!" Ethan's voice penetrated the hallway as every girl gave out a disappointed sigh, hoping that he would be calling for one of them instead. Just about the only thing that didn't come to a halt at the sudden presence of Ethan Craft was David Gordon. In fact, he'd rather be just about anywhere but next to Ethan at the moment, who in Gordo's mind was as dimwitted as they come. Unfortunately, by having the whole hallway stare at him Gordo had no choice but to acknowledge Ethan's presence.  
"Um. Hey Ethan.What's up?" Gordo's face plastered with a pained expression as he tried to dramatically lower his IQ for at least a few moments.  
"Dude I have a favor to ask of you. I was thinking of throwing another one of those murder mystery party things. And my party plans were proceeding with fineness until Tawny broke the bad news to me. Apparently the last time they gasified my house for the bugs it didn't kill them. Instead, it attracted more bugs to the house so they have to try again. Anyways I didn't want to impose on Lizzie a second time although her brother is so totally awesome. I love that little guy! So I was hoping you would be willing to lend me your non-gasified house for a day to throw my party?"  
Up until Lizzie's name Gordo had found the conversation well.... actually he hadn't really been paying attention at all but suddenly his interest peaked. "Whoa wait! Did you say Lizzie?"  
"Yea and Kate and her cousin and Veruca and the Tudge... all the people that were invited last time ya know?"  
"Yea yea of course," Gordo mumbled under his breath, still contemplating whether or not to accept. Suddenly Lizzie comes skipping down the hallway with her glistening lips in an enthusiastic grin.  
"Oh my gosh guess what! I GOT AN A ON MY MATH TEST!" Lizzie shouted much louder then need be for the close proximity of her congratulating audience. "And I couldn't have done it without you Gordo! All the time you spent studying with me really paid off!" She quickly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, a friendly habit she had gotten into starting with the eighth grade class photo. She claimed it meant nothing but every time she would kiss Gordo it meant the world to him.  
Ethan proceeded to tell Lizzie about the party plans while Gordo still remained in a daze from the kiss. It amazed him that a friendly gesture like that could become even more perfect and wonderful each and every time. Her kiss always had a stunning affect on him that would send chills up and down his spine and make him forget all that was wrong in the world. "Oh my gosh that sounds like so much fun! So are you going to host the party Gordo?" Lizzie's ecstatic angelic voice swept through Gordo's daydream and snapped him back into reality. She looked at him with the sad puppy dog eyes that worked magic when wanting to get her way. She knew that she would have to make them extra sad in order to get Gordo to agree. After all, they had been best friends forever and she knew his gut instinct would be to say no to anything Ethan Craft asks.  
"Well..." Gordo wasn't fooled for a minute by her puppy dog eyes. But it wasn't the sad look that made him consider the idea. It was the thought of seeing her happy again, jumping up and down, shouting excited phrases, and maybe, just maybe giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Why not? I'll do it!"  
"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!" Lizzie exclaimed with happiness bouncing around in her hazel eyes. She ran over and embraced him in a big hug sending yet another wave of chills down Gordo's back before taking off towards the library.  
"Righteous! I don't know how I'll ever repay you dude. Here's the list of things you need to have ready at your house. Spread the word to everybody that the party is this Friday at 7 and everyone is the same character that they were last time. See ya!" Ethan marched out the nearest exit into the courtyard where he managed to walk a good 20 yards before running into a pole.  
Normally Gordo would have laughed at the site but he couldn't help touching his cheek where he had hoped to receive another kiss. Suddenly, he was tackled from behind by a mass of blonde hair, nearly knocking him to the floor. There she was, squeezing him so tight he was having difficulty breathing, yet he didn't seem to mind. "Thanks again Gordo!" Lizzie said, getting an even tighter grip around her best friend.  
Gordo was glad she couldn't see his face because he was sure it was bright red, either from blushing or lack of oxygen. "No problem. Besides, it's your turn to win." Gordo said, quoting himself from last year's extravaganza.  
Lizzie loosened her grip, stepped back, and flashed him another hundred watt smile. "You remembered!" Almost instantly Gordo felt her lips on his cheek once again although she seemed to linger on a bit longer for this one, not that Gordo complained. As quick as she had kissed him, she was gone.  
Gordo noticed he was now alone in the empty hallway and smiled to himself. "Yea, it's your turn to win."  
  
Author's Note: Enjoy? 5 reviews and I update. I'm going on vacation 'till Sunday so it'll be a few days till my next update, assuming I get the reviews! I know it's a bit bland right now but I think you'll enjoy the rest of the story. I have a lot of it planned out already so I know where I'm going with it. The party will start next chapter most likely. If not, then chapter 3. The chapters will be a bit longer too I promise. Each one will have at least 1,000 words. Either way. 5 REVIEWS OR NO UPDATES! 


	2. Murder Strikes Again

It's Your Turn To Win  
  
Summary: "It's your turn to win." Those words remained etched into Lizzie's mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie's determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters. All of them were created by Disney. The idea is mine though. I've never seen another story with my exact plot nor am I willing to search through 60 some pages for any story of this nature. Therefore, I'm claiming this idea as mine own.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates. I was in Atlanta for a week which really put me behind and then I come home to find that my computer will be in the shop for a week so that's why it took so long. Hopefully it was worth the wait though. Also, in the disclaimer for the first chapter I talked about Ethan's dad, and I decided to take a different route for the story so he most likely won't be in it at all. I really hope the spacing in this chapter makes it easier to read than the first one. If not let me know. Other then that read, enjoy, review, and tell me how to improve my story! I'm open to anything!  
  
The reflection in the mirror cast a portrait of a young man with noticeable gray streaks splashed throughout his chocolate curls. The numbers on the digital clock behind him switched yet again to reveal the digits 6:35. Gordo let out a sigh for the millionth time that night. Why was he so nervous? His parents were out of town for the weekend and since they trusted him (he smiled as he reminisced about the time he was "bad" at Kate's party) had given him permission to throw the party. The food and stage were all set up and ready to go. Everyone had RSVPed; Ethan, Kate, Amy, Veruca, Tudge, and Lizzie. Suddenly his heart stopped and it became evident why he was such a nervous wreck.  
  
25 minutes until he would see Lizzie. 25 minutes until he would have a second chance to spill out his feelings. 25 minutes until being humiliated after Lizzie rejected his preposition. 25 minutes until he would see Lizzie and Ethan together once again as husband and wife. God, he loathed the thought of it. Sure for Ethan it was just fun and games, but he knew for Lizzie it was the real thing. How could he blame her? After all, if he was the lucky one "married" to her he would consider it real too. A soft click escaped from his clock. 24 minutes...  
  
24 minutes; despite the fact that Lizzie just had her makeup and hair to do it hardly seemed like enough time. The makeup was fairly easy to do, just a hint of light pink lipstick coated with lip gloss and a dusting of silver glitter over her eyelids. Hair was a different story however. Gordo had once told her that he liked her hair down the best because it showed that she was happy with who she was and didn't need to go out of her way to impress anyone (plus he thought that her hair clips were just a little too big). It was one of the clues that convinced Lizzie that her best friend was the man of her dreams. She didn't need to be anyone but herself to impress Gordo. Still, she did want to add a little something special to her look so she threw in a few small braids that rested peacefully on top of the rest of her hair and placed some baby's breath at the bottom of each one. The clock now read 7:02. "Great," she thought, "not only am I late for a party but for a murder as well." as she rushed out the door.  
  
Ethan lay motionless in the center of the kitchen, trying to practice being a dead corpse before the party started since he had already placed all the clues around the house and was scheduled to be the one to die. The remainder of the guests chatted away in Gordo's "feng shue" living room while the host himself paced back and forth in the main hallway by the front door. Where could she be? It was now 7:02 and she still wasn't there. She was only two minutes late so far but she was never late to anything. Panic swept through Gordo's body. It was now 7:06 and he couldn't take it anymore. He would rush over to the McGuire's house if need be only to find her safe in her room, so long as he knew where she was.  
  
Gordo whipped open his front door to reveal a startled and breathless Lizzie. The sudden opening of the door took Lizzie by such surprise that she lost her balance (a typical hobby of Lizzie's) and fell backwards into Gordo's arms who luckily ran out of the house just in time to catch her. He was now completely carrying her in his arms.  
  
"Lizzie are you Ok?" concern filled Gordo's voice.  
  
"Yea I'm fine I'm just glad you were here to catch me." A slight blush came to Lizzie's face as she spoke.  
  
After having discovered that Lizzie was alright, Gordo realized how content he felt while holding Lizzie tightly in his arms. "Well just in case lets sit you down inside." Gordo cautiously made his way back into the house with her still in his arms. He couldn't help but pause at the threshold as he realized the irony of the situation. There he was carrying the woman that he loved into his house while he was dressed in a tux and she in a wedding dress. O cruel world. Lizzie's head was buried into his chest so he couldn't see her reaction to the situation. Maybe she hadn't noticed and he was just blowing this entire thing out of proportion. Just in case, he hurried inside with her still in his arms to prevent her from suspecting anything unusual.  
  
As soon as Lizzie had her feet firmly planted on the ground once again, a shrill scream could be heard from Veruca's mouth, who apparently was the first one to discover Ethan's death. The remainder of the gang sprinted off to the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. There Ethan lay, a wine glass held captive in his hand. Lizzie's feelings towards Ethan may have deceased over the past few months, but it was evident that she could hold back her surprise regarding the recent death of her "husband". All of the girls shed a few tears while the guys rolled their eyes in disgust.  
  
Gordo had had enough of this tear fest and decided it was time to get moving. "Well it doesn't take much of a detective to realize that someone poisoned his drink." Gordo stated with a heap of confidence in his voice. "I suggest we avoid indulging ourselves in our own individual drinks," Gordo motioned to the remaining six glasses on the counter filled to the brim with grape juice since they weren't technically old enough to drink yet, " until we can be assured that the killer does not have a motive to poison the rest of us." The others nodded their heads in unison, still slightly shaken up by the death of one of their good friends.  
  
All of the guests except Lizzie, Gordo, and Ethan's corpse evacuated the room. Gordo couldn't help but notice Lizzie's face still remained paled. "Lizzie are you feeling alright?" His heart dropped at the idea of her feeling ill and having to return home.  
  
"No, no I'm um fine. I guess I just got a little caught up in the moment and forgot all of this is pretend ya know?" Lizzie's voice trailed off at the end. Her mind turned to the sincerity of Gordo's question. He was the only person who could tell there was something wrong with her even when she tried her best to hide it. He knew her inside and out and could practically read her mind. The thought scared her at first until she realized that it brought comfort to her knowing that he would always be there when she needed him.  
  
"Yea it crushes me every time Ethan is out of commission and therefore can't get all the girls." Gordo's sarcastic tone brought a smile to Lizzie's gloomy face. It was now that Gordo got his first real look at her tonight. She was wearing the same white gown she had on at the first party but it looked just as magnificent. The glitter on her eyelids caught the light in the room and resembled miniscule diamonds floating above her eyes. And her hair! She had it down, exactly how he liked it, but those braids with flowers at the end made her look just heavenly. "Wow! You look beautiful!" Gordo hesitated after saying that. Had he pushed his boundaries as a friend too far? No, friends were allowed to compliment their friends and that was exactly what he was doing, as a friend.  
  
Lizzie's face was a scarlet red but it still managed to have an accomplished smile plastered across it. She managed to stammer a simple "Thanks," but as soon as she had regained composure she finished with, "you look pretty handsome yourself."  
  
The ends of Gordo's mouth curled upward in reaction to the complement. "Well I guess we better start trying to crack this case before another one of us croaks huh?" As much as he hated to say those words and spoil their little moment, it was the truth. After all, it's not exactly normal to leave a dead corpse lying in your kitchen all day.  
  
Lizzie raised right eyebrow before concluding with, "Have at it?"  
  
A notorious grin stretched out across Gordo's face as he mimicked Lizzie in response, "Have at it!"  
The two best friends ran out of the kitchen, racing each other and laughing along the way despite the seriousness of the situation and the fact that they were competitors. A memory flashed into Gordo's head as he waited at the bottom of the staircase for Lizzie to catch up with him one last time.  
  
~FLASHBACK~  
  
Ignoring Mrs. Gordon's noble request of no running in the house, five year old Lizzie and Gordo found themselves poised behind the imaginary starting line in the kitchen. The timer on the microwave began to countdown from twenty until reaching its destination at zero, which set off the buzzer, signaling the start of the race. It wasn't much of a race. Gordo had always been a much faster runner then Lizzie and to be fair he would always patiently wait at the bottom of the staircase for her to pass the finish line. Little did they know this would be the last time the race would ever take place seeing as they would outgrow the habit. Right on cue, Gordo appeared at the bottom of the staircase to wait for his best friend who came hurtling around the banister.  
  
A breathless Lizzie managed to gasp, "You just wait Gordo, next time it's my turn to win!"  
  
Gordo couldn't help but smile as he agreed to the contract. Nodding his head in agreement he proclaimed, "Yea, we should this again sometime. It's your turn to win."  
  
~END FLASHBACK~  
  
A/N: Well what do you think? Fluffy I know but I can't help it. The whole "Clueless episode" will probably be 4 chapters long and I'm still debating whether or not I'll continue to write some chapters after that but if I get a positive response I probably will. REMEMBER 5 REVIEWS OR NO UPDATE! (In other words, the review count has to get past 16 since b4 this chap. I had 11) 


	3. Why can't I ever win?

It's Your Turn To Win  
  
Summary: "It's your turn to win." Those words remained etched into Lizzie's mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie's determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters. All of them were created by Disney. The idea is mine though. I've never seen another story with my exact plot nor am I willing to search through 60 some pages for any story of this nature. Therefore, I'm claiming this idea as mine own.  
  
Author's Note: I am soooooo sorry for the delay in my updates! I had a huge writer's block and was really stuck on it for a while but now I've got the ball rolling again so I should have chapter 4 up within a week. There's a chance that might be the last chapter but most likely I will make a fifth chapter. Now on with the story!  
  
The night carried on with the party in full swing. Lizzie and Gordo were hot on the murderer's trail, cleaning out the house of all its clues. The race for the solution was on and its contestants were neck and neck. Clue after clue was found, but in order for the puzzle to be complete, all of the pieces had to appear together. Unfortunately these pieces were being kept apart by two stubborn opponents.  
  
A pen and a sheet of paper sat on the carpeted living room floor propped up by a sofa. Both "Penelope" and "Aubrey" entered the room at the same time from different doorways, oblivious to the fact that the other was there. Immediately they spotted the clue seeing as it was basically handed over to them on a silver platter. After all, it was Ethan who hid the clues, he just chose to ignore the hiding factor. Their reactions were identical; a shocked expression glued on their faces, a hushed "Yes!" after realizing it was indeed a clue, and a fast paced walk toward the objects, gradually speeding up after they noticed the presence of one another. Reaching the clue at precisely the same moment, each person grasped onto the clue with all their might, refusing to back down.  
  
A glimmer of determination was embedded in Lizzie's hazel eyes as Gordo tried to stare her down. If this had been any other object like the last cookie or the remote control, Gordo would have gladly handed it over to his best friend, but this was different. This was a game and he couldn't back down. Losing the battle would mean losing her to Ethan, and he wasn't about to let that happen.  
  
'It's your turn to win.' No, no! This was not the time for Gordo's conscious to kick in, seconds before his guaranteed victory. The message wouldn't leave his mind though. There was nothing in the world that could make him break a promise to Lizzie, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness for pain. And with one final sigh he gently let go of the clue so as not to cause Lizzie to lose her balance.  
  
"Go ahead Lizzie, take it, it's your turn to win," Gordo mumbled while he looked down at his feet. Chancing a look at Ethan's lovely bride, Gordo saw that her sparkling eyes had changed from a confused state to a fit of rage. He immediately felt his heart sink but managed to stutter, "What?"  
  
"Gordo!! Is that how you see me, as some helpless girl who can't do anything on her own without the help of some knight in shining armor?" Gordo had to fight back the smile creeping on his face at the subtle mention of him possibly being her knight in shining armor. Unfortunately Lizzie saw this and became even more outraged then before. "You think this is funny Gordo?! You know what? You can really be a dirk sometimes in these competitions and I hate it! I miss my Gordo, the one that I grew up with who didn't care about what people thought. Now I know I might never be as smart as you but until now I never realized that you considered me a lesser human being who needs to be escorted around all the time!" With that, Lizzie let out a small frustrated scream, spun around on her heels, and stormed out of the room, leaving behind the pen and paper.  
  
What had happened? Gordo had tried to do Lizzie a favor by giving up the clue to her and instead she blew up at him! His mind was racing as he pondered how girls always managed to manipulate an action into an insult. He shook his head slowly and retreated upstairs to his bedroom to be alone for a few minutes. Gordo nearly jumped a mile high when he realized Ethan was in his room playing some space invaders game on his computer. Ethan seemed too consumed with his game to notice Gordo's entrance but to Gordo's surprise Ethan greeted him with, "Having trouble with the Mrs.?"  
  
"Who, where, when, why, and most importantly WHAT?" Ethan's comment had completely thrown Gordo for loop.  
  
"Oh come on, I could hear you guys arguing all the way up here. Such a shame too since you both have noble intentions at heart. I mean you just want to score brownie points with Lizzie so she'll like you more and she just wants to win to impress you."  
  
"Whoa wait, she wants to impress me? Why?"  
  
"Dude I thought you were smart," Ethan replied sarcastically, "you can't tell me that you don't realize yet that Lizzie feels the same way as you feel about her."  
  
"For once we have carried on an entire conversation without the mention of 'Word' a single time, and I still don't understand you!"  
  
"Let me put it like this; you've had a crush on Lizzie since forever, she's had a crush on you since forever, and the entire school has been trying to get you two together since forever. She wants to win to impress you, just like you did at the last murder mystery party but she's not going to impress you by having you hand over all the clues to her. It makes her feel like a dumb blonde that isn't worthy of you. At the same time she wants to see that you'll always be there for her even under pressure where you guys are forced apart. Does it make sense now?" Ethan stood up, frustrated with Gordo's obliviousness to everything and removed himself from the room.  
  
Gordo just stood there stunned. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming or anything but remained convinced that he was in an alternate world. Ethan for once was the smart one and Gordo was left in the dust. Even stranger was the idea of Lizzie liking him back as more then a friend. There was no way that could be right. There were millions of guys out there, why on earth would Lizzie choose him? But what scared him the most was that the more he thought about Lizzie and her actions over the past year, the more he realized that there could be an ounce of truth in Ethan's comments. Of course Gordo couldn't just come out and ask Lizzie if she liked him that would be unbelievably humiliating. He'd have to trick her into saying it, or confess his love to her regardless if she reciprocated the feelings. But how could he let Lizzie win without making it look like he backed down? Whatever the case may be, he needed to come up with a plan and quick.  
  
He headed back down to the party to continue searching for clues. Then he saw it, a book standing upright on top of the television that was conveniently labeled "Clew" thanks to Ethan. What captivated him more was the sight of Lizzie at the other end of the room eyeing the book as well, poised in a run position. They sprinted towards the book, tripping over their own feet in the rush. Both guests clasped their hands firmly on the book. This was it; Gordo's one chance to make amends with Lizzie, Gordo's one chance to be her knight in shining armor, Gordo's one chance to let her win.  
  
Gordo opened his mouth wide, pausing for a second to think over his wording, and whispered, "Lizzie it's your turn to win but.."  
  
A/N: OOOOOooooo cliffhanger! Don't you hate it when authors do that to you? But hey that's what keeps me coming back for more, hopefully it'll do the same to you! Anyways thanks for the positive feedback! It's really encouraged me to keep going. REMEMBER 5 REVIEWS OR NO NEW CHAPTER!!!! (hehe aren't I evil) Which by the way means the count has to be up to 32 reviews (for those of you who can't do the math its 27, the number of reviews thus far, plus five, the number of reviews I need to receive, equals 32! Tadaa! lol). Hope you liked it! 


	4. The wrong person died?

It's Your Turn To Win  
  
Summary: "It's your turn to win." Those words remained etched into Lizzie's mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie's determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters. All of them were created by Disney. Chandler, Monica, and the show 'Friends' are not mine either they belong to NBC. The idea is mine at least I've never seen another story with my exact plot nor am I willing to search through 60 some pages for any story of this nature. Therefore, I'm claiming this idea as mine own.  
  
Author's Note: Major fluff in the next two chapters!  
  
Before Gordo could finish his sentence all the lights in the house flickered off. Lizzie screamed, let go of the book, and wrapped her arms around Gordo. Recovering from the shock, Gordo too released the book, allowing it to fall to the floor before embracing Lizzie back. Neither one could describe the security they felt in each other's arms nor did they want it to end.  
  
"I think we just lost power," Gordo said while glancing out the window at his neighbor's house, "but are you ok Lizzie?"  
  
Lizzie smiled another one of her angelic smiles. How could she stay mad at Gordo? He was always there to catch her when she would fall (which she did a lot of) and would always be by her side when she needed him the most. "Yea, I'm ok. now. Thanks."  
  
Just then Lizzie's cell phone rang and Gordo was forced to release Lizzie. With a disappointed grin Lizzie answered her phone. "Hello? ... Oh, hi mom! . No, everyone's ok. No, really mom we're fine! . Mom you don't need to check up on us! We'll just continue the party. Is that alright Gordo?"  
  
"Huh? Oh yea we'll be ok. Tell your mom not to worry." The question caught him off guard because he had been staring at her so intently. Quickly he added with a sly grin, "Don't worry McGuire, I'll protect you!"  
  
Lizzie stifled a laugh before returning back to the conversation with her mom who refused to hang up for another 15 minutes. When she was finished persuading her mom to let her stay, she hung up her phone and spun around to face Gordo again. When she turned around, however, she wasn't just greeted by plain old Gordo. She was greeted by a more handsome Gordo who in the meantime had filled the room with dozens of candles. It reminded her of Chandler and Monica's apartment the night Chandler proposed to Monica on 'Friends'. It was the most breathtaking sight she had ever seen.  
  
Suddenly Gordo knelt down on one knee, still facing Lizzie, and opened his mouth, "Lizzie."  
  
Whoa, hold on a second! Was it just Lizzie's imagination or did this scene appear to be Gordo proposing to Lizzie? Lizzie panicked. 'This can't be happening,' she thought, 'I mean I love Gordo with all my heart but we're only in the ninth grade and we've never even been on a date! Oh Lizzie get a hold on yourself! You know he's not really going to ask you to marry him!'  
  
Gordo resumed back to talking, "Lizzie. it's your turn to win but. I don't want you at any point to feel like I'm handing over the competition to you because I don't think you're smart enough to do it on your own." Gordo picked up the book off the floor and continued on, "Lizzie there is nothing in the entire world that I love more then seeing you happy which is why I really want you to win. At the same time, however, I can't stand being in a fight with you, especially over something as dumb as the idea of you not being smart enough. That is why I propose this solution. Lizzie McGuire, will you partner up with me and we can solve this mystery together?"  
  
Lizzie had tears in her eyes. It may not have been the proposal she had in mind, but nothing in the world at that moment that could have made her more ecstatic than his speech. Choking back her tears she smiled and replied, "David Gordon I would love too!"  
  
They exchanged warm hugs and excited glances and finally Gordo yelled out, "Hey everybody come in here, Lizzie and I have an announcement to make!" Within five minutes the whole gang had gathered around in the room.  
  
Gordo cleared his throat, "Throughout the night we have been able to track down "Clews" as Ethan so kindly had labeled, for example, a pen and a piece of paper. That could have belonged to any of you. Guy Gaviotta had been secretly writing love letters to Fiona St. John for the past year. After several failed Broadway productions that Fiona had taken part in, she decided to try her hand at writing her own scripts. And finally Esme Upshaw is a children's' books author. By the way, where is Ethan?"  
  
Larry was the first to respond, "Oh, he thought it'd be more appropriate for him to stay at the scene of the crime being that he is a dead corpse and all."  
  
Gordo chuckled and continued on, "Anyway, whoever the murderer is had no motive to kill Ethan but rather they had a motive to kill Lizzie or should I say Penelope Featherstone." He flinched at the thought of someone trying to kill his Lizzie. He could see panic and surprise filling Lizzie's eyes since he had neglected to tell her this clue. Gordo knew Lizzie got queasy just at the sight of blood so he didn't really want to inform her that she was supposed to be the one dead in the game. She had a habit of really getting caught up in games and losing sight of reality. Closing his eyes to try to shut out the look of fear on Lizzie's face, Gordo concluded his end of the solution, "The poisoned cup was Lizzie's. Ethan being the dim-wit that he is grabbed her cup instead of his and the rest is history. Lizzie. err. Penelope is supposed to be the one dead."  
  
Gordo slowly opened his eyes and chanced a glance at Lizzie. He was shocked to see how well she was taking this. There was no hiding the scared look on her face but she was trying to hold her ground with all her might. Now it was her turn to talk.  
  
Lizzie's voice shook as she spoke, "The clue that cinched the solution was in here," she motioned to the room in which they were gathered. "A book about boats," was all Lizzie said. She and Gordo nodded to each other and together triumphantly proclaimed, "The killer is Kate!"  
  
To tie up any loose ends, Gordo finished by saying, "Esme wanted Penelope out of the picture so she could marry Clyde and live the wealthy life from all the money Clyde inherited from his father's death." There, it was out in the open.  
  
The game was over. Everyone congratulated the two on a job well done. The six friends all retreated back to the kitchen to inform Ethan that the mystery had been solved only to find him fast asleep in the middle of the kitchen which caused everyone to laugh.  
  
One by one the guests left until only Lizzie was left. As Gordo escorted her out to his front porch he thought to himself, 'This is it. I'm going to tell her how I feel and I'm not going to back down this time. It's MY turn to win.'  
  
Author's Note: Like? I've already started on the fifth chapter so it should be up soon and I gotta warn you it's going to be some major fluff! As for those of you who said I shouldn't worry about how many reviews I get, I completely agree with you. It's not the quantity it's the quality (wow that sounds lame lol). The only problem with that is if I don't state my review requirements I won't get reviews which I really want so I know how to make my story better. Have no fear, I would never leave you hanging like this just because I only got 4 reviews but I need input back. so keep up the feedback! REMEMBER 5 REVIEWS OR NO UPDATE! (count has got to get up to 44) 


	5. The fairy tale ending

It's Your Turn To Win  
  
Summary: "It's your turn to win." Those words remained etched into Lizzie's mind. Now, with another murder mystery party approaching, Lizzie's determined to show Gordo that the feelings for one another are mutual.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters. All of them were created by Disney. The idea is mine at least I've never seen another story with my exact plot nor am I willing to search through 60 some pages for any story of this nature. Therefore, I'm claiming this idea as mine own.  
  
Author's Note: TONS OF FLUFF!!!!  
  
Thousands of stars already scattered the sky, burning brightly over the darkened city. A comforting breeze swept through the abandoned neighborhood casting a hypnotic spell on all who dwell there. Taking note of the current situation, Gordo quickly retreated back inside to grab a candle as a source of light. Cautiously he set it on the corner of the porch and finally rose to look at the face of his best friend.  
  
"Well we did it! Together! Congratulations and thank you old chap!" Lizzie's cheerful tone indicated that she was indeed over the whole Kate trying to kill her thing. A faint flicker of light from the candle highlighted the right side of her face.  
  
"Congratulations to you too! I mean I never could have done it without you by my side nor would I have it any other way. You were amazing! Not that you're ever not amazing, I mean you're always wonderful." Gordo barely stumbled through his words. He had to change the topic quickly before she suspected anything. "Sorry I had to surprise you about the whole Kate trying to kill you detail but I didn't want you to dwell on it during the entire party." Lizzie's eyes started to well up with tears again at the mention of her death.  
  
'Oh no, what have I done?' Gordo thought to himself, 'Here I am trying to tell my best friend who I have known since I was a baby that I love her and instead I make her cry! Quick do something!'  
  
"Lizzie I'm so sorry. Please don't cry. It was just a game. It's not like Kate would have really killed you, heck she didn't even know her character was the murderer."  
  
"I know that it wasn't real and to be honest I have no idea why I'm so emotional about it. I guess it's just kind of eerie to find out you should dead, even if it is make believe." Lizzie's tears had slowed down but her voice continued to shake.  
  
"Lizzie look at me." With that Lizzie stopped sobbing and looked into Gordo's gorgeous blue eyes. She felt like she was under his spell and whatever he wanted she would do. "Lizzie listen to me. Nothing will ever happen to you as long as I'm here. I refuse to let even a single strand of your golden hair to be damaged by anyone. I'm always going to be here for you McGuire whether you like it or not. I'm never going to leave your side. Sorry to break it to you but you're stuck with me."  
  
Lizzie's face immediately brightened up and she launched herself at Gordo, nearly knocking him down. Gordo could honestly feel his face turn blue from lack of oxygen but it didn't matter. Lizzie was in his arms and all was right in the world. He gladly embraced her back and couldn't help but get a whiff of her cucumber melon shampoo.  
  
Lizzie's tear streaked face looked up at Gordo's while she asked, "Do you really mean it?"  
  
"Of course I do Lizzie; I would never lie to you. I would rather be sent to my grave then see you hurt emotionally or physically. I would do anything for you just to make you happy. You mean the world to me and I can't even imagine my life without you." This was it. It was now or never. "Lizzie I.," but he was interrupted by Lizzie.  
  
"Gordo?" Lizzie asked innocently.  
  
"What?" Gordo kept his voice low to hide the disappointment that he just lost his chance.  
  
Suddenly a soft pressure was applied to his lips causing his eyes to instinctively close. It happened so fast Gordo couldn't even comprehend what was going on but he knew whatever it was, it was giving him the greatest feeling of joy he had ever felt before. All too soon the pressure was released and Gordo suddenly realized how short of breath he was, but for some reason it didn't matter. If he was comprehending the situation right, which at the time seemed highly unlikely, his best friend Lizzie McGuire, the girl he was madly in love with, had just kissed him. Gordo's mind raced, contemplating all the reasons why it must not be true that she had just kissed him. He was Gordo, the best friend, the doormat, the guy in her life that was always preceded by her father and the infamous Ethan Craft, the person always told "Not helping Gordo!" whenever he screwed up, the short, last resort date to dances. Why on Earth would Lizzie McGuire have kissed him? There was no logical explanation whatsoever and yet his lips told him otherwise.  
  
Gordo's hour-long pause caused Lizzie to blush feverishly. Had she made a mistake by kissing him? Her heart told her to do it and so she followed through. She didn't regret the kiss one bit. It was the most amazing kiss she had ever receive even despite the fact that Gordo wasn't exactly expecting it. All the kisses in her history were second rate compared to Gordo's. Something about kissing him just felt right in a way that words couldn't describe. As strange as it might be, Lizzie almost had this feeling that that was her purpose on earth; to be with Gordo, not only as his friend but as his girlfriend and someday his wife. She knew that there would never be another person that she could care so deeply about and yet she risked her entire friendship with that one kiss.  
  
Lizzie just couldn't take anymore of the silence and finally found her voice, "Gordo I'm so sorry. Just forget anything ever happened. I'll talk to you tomorrow." And with that Lizzie frantically raced toward the street, tears once again forming in her eyes. But just before she made it to the sidewalk, an arm gently spun her around, and almost immediately her mouth was met with that of her best friend's. The kiss seemed even more surreal than the first one and both participants enjoyed every second of it. When the kiss finally ended, Gordo was the first to speak.  
  
"Lizzie I don't want to forget that it ever happened. I know you might not feel the same as me but it's time I finally said this. I want to be the one who gets referred to as Lizzie's boyfriend. I want to be the one who is always there to catch you. I want to be the one who spends every waking moment with you. Lizzie I love you."  
  
For the third time that night, salty tears streamed down her face, this time however they were signs of joy. "David Gordon the only thing I love more than you is the thought of being your girlfriend."  
  
Gordo's eyes sparkled like a young child's at Christmas and he slowly pulled Lizzie into a long, passionate kiss, marking the first of many to come under their official title of girlfriend and boyfriend.  
  
As they pulled apart, Lizzie whispered, "It's our turn to win."  
  
Author's Note: I warned ya there'd be a lot of fluff. What can I say? It's sickening but I love it. I'm a helpless romantic. I know it's been long enough huh? I mean I told you guys like five months ago not to worry this chapter would be up soon and look how that turned out. I'm reallyyyyyyyyy sorry about the delay but life has been unusually hectic over the past months and somewhere along the line this story got pushed aside but I hope it was worth the wait. I hope I didn't lose too many of my loyal readers but then again new readers are always welcome!!! Several ideas have floated through my mind as to what to do with this story and in the end it'll probably come down to you guys, the reviewers. Here are the three possible scenarios:  
  
I continue on with this story by adding more chapters. I have heard this request from several people but my only hesitation is that I don't know where to take it from here. Of course I am always open for suggestions.  
  
I continue on with this story through the use of a sequel which then gives me the option of fast forwarding to a time in the future. Once again, though, I am a little stuck on some promising ideas for the plot.  
  
I create several new stories each one having no relationship to each other but acting as sequels to the Lizzie McGuire episodes similar to this. For example, this was a sequel to the episode "Clueless". My next story, should I choose to go this route, would probably be a sequel to "Bye, Bye, Hillridge Junior High". Most likely my story would describe them graduating high school (under the assumption that this story never took place). This is perhaps the scenario that I have been able to brainstorm the most ideas.  
  
Of course there is nothing preventing me from doing all three scenarios. Review, give me some feedback and opinions and hopefully the next time I make a post on fanfiction will be much sooner than 5 months after my promise. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! 


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